Coronavirus and Continuing Education

InsuranceStudy

Our company and staff continue to operate at full and normal capacity. As it has for everyone else, COVID-19 has forced our business to adapt.
We are fortunate to be an internet-based business, and have already completed a smooth transition of our entire staff to the relative safety of a work-from-home operation.
Though this is a time of great uncertainty, we do not anticipate any disruptions in our ability to provide you with our same high standards of customer support and CE coursework.

Your State CE Impact

The ever-growing response to the virus is causing widespread disruption, and state governments are affected along with everyone else.
Some of these effects may be troublesome, but InsuranceStudy is here to help you navigate the impact on your continuing education and licensing requirements.
You should expect that government offices might temporarily adjust their hours, or their capacity to process credits may be reduced.
Other effects may prove beneficial to students. For instance, some states are extending their renewal deadlines while others are considering a temporary removal of proctor requirements in accordance with the CDC's guidance towards physical distancing.
Many states and carriers are encouraging licensees to take advantage of this time to complete their CE.

The team here at InsuranceStudy is keeping in close contact with all of the state Departments of Insurance, and we will be regularly updating our individual catalogs - as well as this page - with any and all important
changes to your CE requirements.

Please review the list of states below to see if and how your state may currently be impacted.

Alabama

Alabama has waived all proctor requirements for online self-study courses taken through the end of April 2020.

Per Governor Kay Ivey’s direction to all state agencies, the Alabama Department of Insurance (ALDOI) will implement a telework policy until Monday, April 6, in order to minimize employee exposure to COVID-19. However, the ALDOI is still on duty and here to serve the citizens of the State of Alabama. Therefore, the core mission and functions of the Department will continue and our constituencies will be served.

To contact the Producer Licensing Division, it is recommended those with internet access use the Chat line at www.aldoi.gov on Mondays through Fridays, from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM; or email anytime to producerlicensing@insurance.alabama.gov. Telephone calls will only be accepted between the hours of 8:00 AM and 12:00 Noon at (334) 241-4126.

Alaska

On Wednesday, March 11, Governor Mike Dunleavy signed an emergency disaster declaration related to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The Division of Insurance continues to monitor the developing situation as it relates to insurance licensing. We continue to strive for operational continuity while complying with government mandates and official recommendations.

As the situation continues to evolve, we are encouraging licensees to renew their licenses as early as possible in order to avoid any potential delays in processing. Alaska insurance licensees can renew their licenses as early as ninety days prior to the license expiration date. In most cases, you can renew online at NIPR.com. To check your license expiration date, please utilize the licensee lookup tool located at statebasedsystems.com.

For Alaska resident licensees, we are requesting that you complete your Continuing Education (CE) requirements well in advance of your license expiration date as Alaska approved CE providers have ten (10) days following completion of the course to report CE credits earned to the division. There are many internet-based and distance learning courses that are approved to be offered for CE in the State of Alaska. You can search for any Alaska approved CE course at statebasedsystems.com.

The division is sensitive to the continually changing and challenging dynamic of the COVID-19 spread, and its potential effect on all licensees. Following the above recommendations will assist with license applications being processed in a timely and efficient manner. If you have any questions, please contact the Alaska Division of Insurance at 907-465-2515 or email at insurance@alaska.gov.

Arizona

The Arizona Department of Insurance has waived their normal proctor requirement, until further notice. A proctor is no longer required to be present during your exam. You will instead need to electronically sign an Affidavit of Personal Responsibility, and that affidavit will be completed online as part of your final exam.

Colorado

The Colorado Department of Insurance has waived their normal proctor requirement, until further notice. A proctor is no longer required. You will instead need to electronically sign an Affidavit of Personal Responsibility, and that affidavit will be completed online as part of your final exam.

Updated: 04/20/2020

Connecticut

The proctor requirements for Connecticut are still in place. The use of tools such as Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other similar products will be allowed for remote proctoring.

Updated: 03/24/2020

Delaware

There are no closings or delays at the Delaware Department of Insurance. Check here for updates on their status.

Updated: 03/27/2020

Florida

Due to COVID-19, state examination testing locations are closed until April 16, or whenever conditions are deemed safe to re-open. We're also starting to see more and more fingerprinting locations close throughout the state and are anticipating that number to climb.

We are continuing to process license applications during this time. However, we won't be able to completely process them if the license being applied for requires fingerprint and/or state examination results, and we don't have them.

In order to continue operating efficiently, we strongly encourage people to utilize our Upload Documents feature through their MyProfile account to submit any application deficiency documents, instead of emailing them to us. If the option to upload documents isn't available in someone's account, it will appear within 3 hours after submitting a new license application in our system. (Note: If an application is submitted through NIPR, the option will appear once that application reaches our system, typically the day after the application is submitted to NIPR.)

Thank you for your cooperation and patience!

Updated: 03/27/2020

Iowa

In response to the recent developments of the Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) Iowa will be waiving the classroom method requirement and proctor requirements for continuing education through the end of August 2020. Continuing Education requirements can now be met by completing self study courses or classroom equivalent webinars.

Producer license renewals can be submitted up to 90 days in advance and should be submitted online at www.nipr.com. Should you have any questions with processing your renewal application please reach out to the division at producer.licensing@iid.iowa.gov

Updated: 03/23/2020

Source: Pearson Vue

Kentucky

Due to the COVID-19 emergency status, the Department of Insurance will be extending the time requirements for completion and submission of continuing education hours for March and April licensees. Those who are due by March 31, 2020 will now have until May 31, 2020.

Those licensees who normally would be required to complete all continuing education hours by April 30, 2020 will now have until June 30, 2020 to complete the hours. The reporting period of the completion of the continuing hours to the Department is also extended appropriately.

This action only extends CE deadlines, and does not extend license renewal deadlines. License renewal is completed electronically, and currently has a 60-day grace period.

Insurance Exams

Some of the testing centers at the KY Community and Technical Colleges have closed through April 3, 2020. DOI will be offering Frankfort exams each weekday at our Mero Street office starting Wednesday, March 18. The Frankfort testing facility is cleaned before and after each test is given. It should be noted for the protection of those testing and for the protection of DOI employees, anyone who comes to test and who is obviously ill, will not be allowed to test.

The Department of Insurance will be at partial staff at the Mero Street location until further direction. All essential business processes will continue as usual. We are here to assist you however we can.

If you have any questions regarding CE extensions or insurance examinations, please contact the Division of Agent Licensing at DOI.AgentLicensingMail@ky.gov.

Maryland

Maryland Insurance Administration offices are now closed for public visits. However, our agency is operational. Click here for resources.

Updated: 03/16/2020

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) has temporarily removed the normal proctoring requirement for students taking online courses. Until this emergency has abated, a proctor is no longer required to be present during your exam.

Instead, students must print out and sign the Continuing Education Attestation of Personal Responsibility Form, which will be provided to you along with your exam. This form requires individuals to attest that they have not received outside assistance while completing the online course exam.

Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, OCABR and its agencies will modify their available onsite workforce. This will impact some of their services like in-person window service and the Consumer Hotline both of which will be closed at least through March 17, 2020.

Due to the continually changing situation, we recommend that you check the website often and refer to mass.gov/coronavirus for additional information regarding the Coronavirus.

Updated: 04/10/2020

Michigan

The Michigan Department of Insurance has waived their normal proctor requirement, until further notice. A proctor is no longer required. You will instead need to electronically sign an Affidavit of Personal Responsibility, and that affidavit will be completed online as part of your final exam.

Nebraska

The Nebraska Department of Insurance has waived their normal proctor requirement for all courses completed by July 31, 2020.

For resident licenses expiring in March or April, a 90-day extension for the producer's CE requirement can be granted. To request an extension, producers will need to email a request to doi.licensing@nebraska.gov.

Nevada

The Nevada Department of Insurance has waived their normal proctor requirement, until further notice. A proctor is no longer required. You will instead need to electronically sign an Affidavit of Personal Responsibility, and that affidavit will be completed online as part of your final exam.

Updated: 04/20/2020

New York

The Governor of New York has declared a state of emergency to help New York respond to the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”). As a result of the outbreak, consumers and businesses around the world are experiencing unprecedented disruption to their everyday lives and operations. The purpose of this circular letter is to provide producers that are licensed by DFS and adversely impacted by COVID-19 with temporary relief in connection with licensing requirements.

Article 21 of the Insurance Law governs licensing requirements for producers, including the process for and fees associated with license applications and renewals. Insurance Law § 2132 sets forth the continuing education requirements that licensees are required to satisfy in connection with the renewal of their licenses. DFS expects all producers to satisfy their continuing education requirements and submit their license renewals in a timely manner. Although in-person continuing education courses may be temporarily suspended, numerous providers offer courses online or as webinars.

As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, DFS understands that it may be challenging for certain producers to obtain the requisite number of continuing education credits in advance of their license expiration dates. As a temporary accommodation, DFS will suspend the expiration of licenses for all individual producers for the next 60 days and waive any late fees resulting from, and accruing during, this suspension period. At the end of this 60-day period, all licenses that would have expired but for this circular letter will automatically expire unless the producer has submitted a license renewal application, including completion of all necessary continuing education credits, before that date. Furthermore, DFS will suspend the requirement that a monitor be present to complete producer continuing education and pre-licensing course exams online during this 60-day period. Except as provided in this circular letter, all licensing requirements, including those relating to continuing education, will continue to apply.

Please direct any questions regarding this circular letter to insurance.covid19@dfs.ny.gov. Producers are also encouraged to visit www.dfs.ny.gov for periodic updates related to licensing requirements.

North Carolina

All NC licensed insurance producers and adjusters whose Continuing Education (CE) compliance period expires in March, April or May 2020 will be granted an extension through June 30, 2020 in order to meet the state mandated CE requirements. This includes NC nonresident adjusters with NC as the Designated Home State (DHS).

All Insurance CE courses previously approved for classroom delivery by licensed CE providers can be offered via webinar without requiring the Insurance CE provider to refile the courses for a different presentation method with Prometric. The Insurance CE provider should assume the full responsibility to monitor attendance.

Pennsylvania

Effective immediately and until further notice, the use of proctors in a face-to-face setting is prohibited. A proctor is no longer required to be present during your online exams. When taking a course on InsuranceStudy you will instead need to electronically sign an Affidavit of Personal Responsibility, and that affidavit will be completed online as part of your final exam.

Updated: 03/25/2020

Any and all renewal requirements, including CE, are still applicable and the Department will work with licensees once COVID-19 has been contained to meet these requirements. The state understands that at this time, the circumstances related to COVID-19 may prevent some licensees from being able to complete their CE requirements or renew their license. For those individuals who cannot meet requirements due to extenuating circumstances related to COVID-19, the Department will temporarily waive CE requirements and extend the licensing renewal deadline. To view the complete notice issued by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, click the link below.

South Carolina

The SC Department of Insurance is waiving any in-person proctoring requirements for continuing education until the current State of Emergency related to COVID-19 is lifted by the Governor and third-party vendors are permitted to resume operations. Deadlines for complying with CE requirements have been changed as follows...

On March 20, 2020, the Director authorized a thirty-day extension of the March and April producer license renewal deadlines. Due to the persistent and ongoing nature of the current emergency, the Director is granting ninety-day extensions for all upcoming license renewals, including March and April licenses. Set forth below is a summary of the new compliance deadlines:

Texas

The agency is continuing to follow the current renewal process for license renewals.

To ensure there is no delay in renewing a license, complete continuing education hours at least 30 days before your license expires. This will allow time for the continuing education provider to report the successful completion of the course to us.

The renewal fee is $50.

The late fee is $25.

There are two ways to renew online:

You can use either option to renew, but Sircon offers the fastest processing.

Sircon (Vertafore): If you have 14 or fewer days to renew, you must use this option ($8.25 to process).

Texas.gov: If you have 15 days or more to renew, you can use this option (no charge to process).

Updated: 03/24/2020

Vermont

The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation has temporarily removed the normal proctoring requirement for students taking online courses. Until this emergency has abated, a proctor is no longer required to be present during your exam. Students must instead print out and sign the Continuing Education Attestation of Personal Responsibility Form, which will be provided to you along with your exam. This form requires individuals to attest that they have not received outside assistance while completing the online course exam.

West Virginia

The proctor requirements for West Virginia are still in place. The use of tools such as Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other similar products will be allowed for remote proctoring.

Updated: 03/23/2020

Wisconsin

The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) has temporarily removed the normal proctoring requirement for students taking online courses. Until this emergency has abated, a proctor is no longer required to be present during your exam.

Instead, students must print out and sign the Continuing Education Attestation of Personal Responsibility Form, which will be provided to you along with your exam. This form requires individuals to attest that they have not received outside assistance while completing the online course exam.

Due to the current public health emergency resident licensees who have an expiration date of March 31, 2020 will have CE credits waived. Licensees must still pay the license renewal fee of $35.00 however, CE will not need to be satisfied in order to renew the license via NIPR.